Right Under His Nose
by NerdGirl95
Summary: When Neville begins as a professor, he quickly earns a reputation for always knowing exactly what his students need. Can a special girl convince him that he, too, needs looking after? Written for the QLFC Season Seven Round 2


**Written for QLFC Season 7 Round 2. Chaser Three - ****write about a character(s) who is highly intuitive when it comes to others and is great at solving others' problems but is always obtuse when it's something concerning them.**

**Additional prompts: 11. (song) Living on a Prayer; 13. (phrase) holding your head high; 15 (word) passion**

It was a day like any other. Neville had taught his first years in the morning, and assisted Professor Sprout with the seventh years after lunch. He always felt nervous in that class, so full of his own yearmates and, until only recently, comrades-in-arms. He still couldn't believe McGonagall had offered him this job, and he was always worried of making a fool of himself. Students and colleagues alike assured him that he was exactly what the school needed, but he just wasn't used to thinking of himself that way yet. In his own mind, Neville was still the chubby, clumsy child who had first walked through those doors eight years ago.

Whenever he was feeling nervous or incompetent Neville would retreat to his office to enjoy his two favourite things: plants and Muggle music. He had been somewhat surprised to discover his love for the latter, however it had only made sense that the Muggle-born members of the hidden DA would bring something of their culture into the Room of Requirement, and some nifty magic had allowed an old record player to work on Hogwarts grounds. The whole group had discovered the healing and relaxing powers of music during that awful year under the Carrows' reign of terror, and Neville had found that listening to his favourite records allowed him to walk into detention with his head held high. It was a habit he had continued after the war, and he could no longer do without his daily music session.

He had just chosen his music for that afternoon when he saw a flicker of movement through the windows. Quickly swapping out his favourite Bon Jovi record for another he opened his door before the person standing outside had time to raise his fist to knock.

"Come in, Mr Creevey. Had a bad day today did you?"

Dennis raised his eyebrows almost imperceptibly as he matched his Professor's words with the music currently playing in the background. Surely it was just a coincidence.

"Yes Sir. It's, well, you see it's Colin's birthday today, the first one he isn't here for. It would have been his 17th birthday too, his coming of age. Plus, I'm pretty sure I flunked the Transfiguration quiz today, and I've lost my best tie, and the Slytherins laughed at me in Potions today because I started crying about Collin."

"Mr Creevey, Dennis, nothing I say will take your pain away. Only time can do that, if you let it. However, I can tell you that Ginny Weasley is brilliant at Transfiguration, and would be more than happy to tutor you. Talk to the House Elves about your tie, they know everything that goes on at Hogwarts and will be able to find it faster than you can ask for it. Finally, you can't let the Slytherins get to you. The fact that you were crying today shows that you cared about your brother, which matters so much more than image. Dennis, I can't control what they do outside my class, and I definitely can't control how you respond to them. You, however, can control your response. Hold your head high Dennis, and wear your love for Colin with pride. Over time, they will see that they can't elect a reaction from you and they will stop trying. Now run along to that birthday party I know the DA have planned in Colin's honour. Party hard for me."

"Thanks Professor. You always know just what to say."

* * *

Each day seemed to follow the same pattern: teach, put some music on, and end the day by counselling a student. Sometimes he saw two or three - his record was ten in one evening. By Christmas he had gained a reputation for always knowing what a student needed. Whether it was advice, a shoulder to cry on, help with an essay or a quiet place to escape the business of school life, Neville never got it wrong, and never failed to give the student what they needed, along with his favourite piece of wisdom - "hold your head up high, and things will get better." The trait that had made him famous though was his ability to always have an appropriate song playing on his record player whenever a student arrived. Student gossip said that he could read minds from three corridors away. Neville just shrugged and smiled, never giving away his secret. In truth, he was very good at observing his students throughout the day, and had a 100% success rate in predicting which students would knock on his door each afternoon.

There was, however, a distinct downside to Neville's popularity as a counsellor, mentor and tutor. As the number of students reaching out to him increased, his spare time decreased, until he found himself skipping meals and grading papers at four o'clock in the morning. His friends were becoming increasingly concerned about his physical and mental well-being, however Neville did not seem to notice the strain he had put himself under.

Eventually he reached breaking point, and landed himself in the Hospital Wing for two weeks, where Madam Pomfrey hovered over him like an overprotective mother hen, and refused to release him until the bags under his eyes disappeared and the colour returned to his skin.

Returning to his living quarters, Neville stopped short. He had expected to find it just how he left it - dirty clothes draped on every possible surface, papers covering the floor like a carpet, and a cluster of dirty mugs sitting on his desk. He had been steeling himself for three days of cleaning, however the apartment he returned to was pristine. His clothes had been washed, ironed and folded into his wardrobe. The dirty mugs had disappeared and the papers were sitting in their place, neatly stacked by year. And neatening up his sofa cushions was one of his students.

"Miss Abbott, shouldn't you be in class?" He instantly regretted his choice of words, as the poorly-disguised look of hurt flashed across her face. "I'm sorry Hannah, I didn't mean to be harsh. I just didn't expect this."

"That's because you never stop to think about yourself, Neville. You've spent all of this time caring for the whole school, but in doing so you neglected to care for yourself. Now it is time you had someone to care for you."

"I know, Madam Pomfrey made that very clear for the past two weeks. But who would want to look after me?"

Hannah stared hard at him, saddened but not surprised at his response.

"Neville, everyone in this school would drop everything to ensure you are cared for. However, they won't get the chance to, because I got here first."

"Hannah, I appreciate this, I really do. But you have your NEWTs to prepare for, and a life outside of Hogwarts waiting for you in only a few months. I can't let you sacrifice yourself for me."

"I won't be. I don't want high NEWTs scores, I never have. I'm not looking to enter the Ministry, or become a Professor. Even if I were, I won't be sacrificing anything. I will study for my exams while you grade papers, and I will keep a close eye on you to ensure you stop grading and eat and sleep at regular intervals. Additionally, there is a group of us prepared to do this - we will meet in the library, so you aren't seen to be spending too much time alone with one student."

"Hannah, that is incredible. I-I don't know what to say. There is however, one problem. I'm not going to stop seeing students after class."

"I wasn't going to ask that of you. Everyone can see that these students are your passion. You will still have time to look after students, however we will help you to ensure it is manageable, and you can do the other things you need to. Trust me, every student in this school would stop coming to you if they thought it would help you."

"What? Hannah, you have to tell them I'm open for business."

"They know, Neville. I'm just saying that we've all realised that we were taking advantage of your passionate and caring heart, and we are going to make sure it doesn't happen again. There won't be any more ten-student evenings anymore."

"Well, I can't argue with that… Hannah, why are you doing this?"

"Because I care about you, Neville."

* * *

Very soon Neville found himself in a routine. Each morning he would wake up to a cup of tea on his desk - it appeared that Hannah had the House Elves on her side. After his tea he would dress and attend breakfast, careful to eat enough to satisfy the anxious eyes that were watching him. After class his doors were open to students until dinner, at which time the student with him would escort him to the Great Hall. From there he would proceed to the library, where Hannah, Ginny, Hermione, Luna and Seamus were waiting for him, a stack of his papers in hand.

Whilst this could have been stifling, Neville found that he liked the routine, and especially liked the time with his friends each evening. Perhaps his favourite time of day however was the very end, when Hannah would walk with him to his quarters on her way back to her dorms. She would always insist on coming in with him, straightening up his office ready for the next day and putting on a record to listen to as they worked. Whilst part of him believed he shouldn't allow a student to become so familiar, a greater part of him was enjoying spending time with his friend.

Despite his enjoyment of their time together, Hannah's actions confused him. While he continued his passion of helping the students of Hogwarts, she seemed to have developed a passion for helping him. Just as he could anticipate the needs of his students, she always seemed to know exactly what he needed in any given moment. A tiny voice in the back of his mind wondered what this could mean, however he dismissed it as her naturally friendly nature.

* * *

Two more months passed, and the end of the school year was almost upon them. Hannah had continued to watch over Neville, and thus he had avoided any further burnout or breakdown. For this he was grateful, however he was becoming increasingly confused as to the meaning of the whole situation. One night, when Hannah was tutoring a third year student, Neville decided to bring the matter up with his friends.

"Guys, I'm a little concerned about Hannah. She seems to be spending all of her time either with me or doing things for me, and I don't want her to wear herself out. I'm also confused as to why she is doing this. I know we are friends, but this seems to be going above and beyond."

His friends all looked at him incredulously. Eventually it was Seamus who spoke up.

"Mate, she cares about you. _Really_ cares about you."

"I care about her too. That's why I brought this up."

"Neville, Seamus means that she cares for you as more than a friend," Hermione chose to use the blunt option, tired of forever stepping around the issue.

"No, you're mistaken. Hannah doesn't think of me like that, I'm just a friend who needs to be taken care of."

"Trust us, Neville," Ginny said looking him right in the eyes. "Ask her for yourself if you don't believe us, but Seamus and Hermione are right."

Later that night as Hannah turned to leave his quarters, Neville stopped her. "Hannah, why are you doing all of this? I appreciate it, truly, but I don't deserve everything you do for me."

"Neville, if you don't understand by now I don't think you would believe me. Just listen to the music and I'll talk to you tomorrow." She walked out the door with a sad smile, starting the record player as she went. Neville recognised the song as the same one she played every night.

_Everything I do, I do it for you…_

* * *

Finally the final day of school came, and with it the seventh years' graduation. Hannah was about to walk out of Hogwarts, and if he wasn't careful, his life, for the last time.

At first Neville had struggled to believe that Hannah could ever see him as more than just a friend or Professor, despite the song he had now listened to so many times. However, the more he observed her, the more willing he was to accept it. They hadn't had a conversation that was just the two of them since that night, but Hannah continued to do little things like have hot tea delivered to his office between classes, or wait outside his classroom to walk to meals with him. What had surprised him even more than her actions were the fact that he had found himself looking forward to seeing her, and even modifying his route through the school in order to run into her in the halls. Now the time had come to finally make his move and see what could happen between the two of them.

Neville had been nervously pacing his office for the past half an hour, but now he shook himself out of his thoughts and turned to his record player. Choosing a record almost without looking, he felt himself relaxing almost as soon as the needle hit the vinyl. _Livin' On A Prayer_ had been his pump up song throughout that last awful year of the war, and it still had the same affect over a year later. He couldn't tell you why, but he always felt ready for anything when he listened to that song. As he let the words sweep over him, Neville pulled his back up straight, held his head high and left his office for the courtyard where he had asked Hannah to meet him.

She was already there when he arrived, looking as nervous as he had felt only minutes earlier. She looked up as he approached her, the question - and longing - in her eyes plain to see.

"Hannah, I have spent the last two years looking after others. I always seemed to know what they needed, but could never see that I also need to be looked after. Then you came along and I convinced myself you were just caring for a friend, because I couldn't see how someone like you could ever see me as more than that. To be honest, Hannah, I still don't. You deserve so much more than I have to give you, but I'm willing to try if you are."

"Oh Neville, I don't need anything special, just you. What is that line from your favourite song? We've got each other – "

" – and that's a lot for love."

"I'm willing to give us a chance Neville, if you are. I've loved you for a long time, and I know I can go on loving you for a lot longer than that."

As Neville looked at her, he saw a passion in her eyes he had come to expect over the last months. A passion he now realised was reserved for him alone. Leaning in, he captured her lips, inwardly berating himself that he had been so oblivious as to not see what was under nose. As they sat together in the courtyard watching the sun set, he vowed to pay more attention to himself and, more importantly, to the beautiful woman by his side.


End file.
